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“The timing of this lawsuit,” Judge Patel wrote, “speaks volumes about its intent. This is not about fraud; this is about limiting who gets to vote.”
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Wake County Superior Court Judge John W. Smith similarly rejected a separate lawsuit from the RNC. This suit aimed to block the state’s policy of allowing citizens living abroad to vote if their parents or spouses previously resided in North Carolina. Republicans requested an emergency order to halt this practice, claiming it could open the door to fraud.
But Judge Smith was unconvinced, ruling that the RNC had failed to present any substantial evidence to support its claims. “The argument that these policies promote widespread fraud is not supported by the facts,” Smith noted in his decision. He went on to say that there was no indication of any fraudulent activity related to the overseas voting system, calling the lawsuit an unnecessary disruption to the election process.
Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, was quick to celebrate the ruling, highlighting it as a victory for democracy and the protection of overseas military and civilian votes.
“A win for voters and democracy today in Michigan!” Benson said. “A federal court upheld our work to ensure military service members and their families serving overseas can vote, rejecting the RNC lawsuit as an ‘11th hour attempt to disenfranchise these electors.’”
Her statement reflects the central argument of the defense: that these votes, often from military families or other citizens living abroad, should not be suppressed. Benson’s office argued that the lawsuit threatened the democratic rights of those who serve the country from afar.
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans maintain that the lawsuit was not an attack on military voters or their families, but rather an effort to protect the integrity of the election process. Critics of the ruling, like political commentator Patty McMurray, expressed frustration over the rejection of the lawsuit, arguing that the case was about preventing fraudulent votes from being counted.
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“As long as you’re an actual person, and a U.S. citizen, you have every right to vote,” McMurray said in response to the court’s decision. “The lawsuit was about preventing fraudulent votes. It had NOTHING to do with ‘military voters’ or their families—quite the opposite in fact.”
McMurray and others voiced concerns that the current system leaves room for potential abuse. They argued that the RNC’s efforts were aimed at ensuring that legitimate votes from overseas voters are not nullified by fraudulent ones, a point they feel was overlooked by the court.
The rulings in Michigan and North Carolina mark a significant setback for the RNC’s efforts to restrict certain overseas voting practices. While the courts have rejected these lawsuits, the larger debate surrounding voting integrity and accessibility continues to be a contentious issue in the run-up to future elections.
For now, both Michigan and North Carolina will continue to allow U.S. citizens abroad to vote under the current rules, ensuring that military families and others living overseas can have their voices heard in state and national elections. Whether these rulings will face further legal challenges remains to be seen, but for now, the courts have affirmed the policies in place as legal and constitutional.
As these battles over election laws unfold, one thing is clear: the fight over who gets to vote, and how, is far from over.
